The present invention, Hosta ‘Grand Marquee’, relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hosta, botanically known as a Hosta hybrid, hereinafter referred to as ‘Grand Marquee’.
The inventor discovered the new cultivar, ‘Grand Marquee’, in a block of Hosta ‘Carder Blue’ (unpatented) at his nursery in Kensington, Conn. in the summer of 1997. ‘Grand Marquee’ is a naturally occuring whole plant mutation of ‘Carder Blue’. ‘Grand Marquee’ was selected as unique for its variegated leaf pattern of wide blue-green margins surrounding white centers and its smaller overall plant size in comparison to ‘Carder Blue’. ‘Carder Blue’ has foliage that is blue-green in color and non-variegated.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by in vitro propagation in Kensington, Conn. in the spring of 2001. Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by division and tissue culture has shown that the unique features of ‘Grand Marquee’ are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.